What Is an Infrared Sauna?

A traditional sauna uses wood or electricity to heat the environment to a sweltering 180-210 degrees Fahrenheit. Many people have trouble withstanding this much heat for more than a handful of minutes.

The point is that this excessive heat makes your body sweat more to cool itself. That's also the reason your blood vessels swell and your heart pumps harder to circulate more blood.

For this reason, you may have heard some experts advise against visiting a sauna if you have high blood pressure or other heart problems.

However, this study found a connection between regular sauna visits and a drop in the risk of fatal heart disease. Putting your heart under a little stress during a sauna visit can help strengthen it in the long run — it's like exercise for your heart.

Infrared saunas capitalize on the benefits of saunas with a lower health risk than a traditional sauna. Instead of warming the air to extreme temperatures, infrared lamps heat the body directly. If this sounds freaky to you, don't worry: it's the same approach hospitals use to keep babies warm in neonatal beds. It's perfectly safe.

This method allows the heat to penetrate the body more fully, helping your body sweat more vigorously at a lower air temperature. Infrared saunas typically employ temperatures of only 120-140 degrees Fahrenheit — much more bearable.

So what are the possible benefits of visiting an infrared sauna in light of the current pandemic? Let's see.

Reduced Blood Pressure

Most coronavirus deaths occur in individuals who already have underlying health conditions. One of those conditions appears to be high blood pressure.

Regular sauna use can help lower your blood pressure. Perhaps it may even boost your heart health in other ways, such as strengthening the endothelial function in the heart's vessels and reducing the risk of coronary heart disease. Since heart disease is the leading killer of Americans, it's a good idea to keep an eye out for your heart all the time — not just during a pandemic.

No current studies look at the link between reducing your blood pressure through sauna use and lowering your COVID-19 mortality risk; the disease is still too new. However, since reducing your blood pressure if you have hypertension should already be a concern, sauna use is worth speaking to your physician about.

Heat Kills Coronavirus

Preliminary studies indicate that heat kills coronavirus at temperatures possibly as low as 80 degrees Fahrenheit. That's good news for us in general here in Los Angeles. Warmer weather is on the way, which may help to impede the spread of the virus within our city — although experts continue to debate the effect of a warmer climate on coronavirus.

Given a vulnerability to heat, it's unlikely that coronavirus can survive in an infrared sauna. The environment in the sauna may be hot enough to kill off the virus.

Avoid Public Places If You're Already Infected

Keep in mind that your body regulates the temperature of the air entering your lungs. This is a beautiful mechanism that protects your lungs from injury when you're exposed to extreme temperatures.

However, it also protects the coronavirus if you already have it living in your lungs. Do NOT go to a sauna if you're already sick or if there's a good chance you could be. The sauna probably won't help you, and you will expose other people to the virus.

Mental Health Boost

You've probably heard more about the physical health benefits of sauna visits. But spending time in a sauna has many mental health benefits as well. It can ease symptoms of depression and may even increase mental focus and attention span.

Regardless of what the research says, we can attest that spending time in a sauna is an incredibly relaxing experience. We're all a little stressed and on edge right now, so anything to help bring down the stress levels is a welcome bit of relief.

An Infrared Sauna Visit for a Healthier You

Is an infrared sauna visit a cure for the coronavirus? Most likely, it's not. Can saunas be used as part of a healthy lifestyle to keep your body healthy and your immune system strong to give you a fighting chance against the virus? Absolutely!

Please don't substitute infrared sauna visits for other precautions against catching the coronavirus. Wash your hands frequently, practice social distancing, and follow the recommendations given by health authorities in your area.

However, as long as you're still allowed to leave the house and we're allowed to keep our doors open, a few infrared sauna visits can't hurt. We'll get through this together!